Railway signal system.



PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

A. L. RUTHVBN.

RAILWAY SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.20, 1906.

Wimesses UNITED STATES t-PATENT. OFFICE."

LFRED, L. RUTHVEN," oFir'oPEKA, KANSAS.

RAILWAY SIGNAL-SYSTEM;

all .u gha'm it may concern.-

; Be-it'lmown that I, ALFRED 'L; RUTHVEN, t

a1;eitizen' of the United States, residing at 'Top,eka,'in the county ofShawnee and State '5 bf Kansas, have invented new and useful Im-.

provements inRailway Signal Systems, of

- which the following is a specificatiom 1 The invention-relates to thatclass of railvway signal systems in which the signal is car- 'ro on thetrain, as in the cab of the loco.- 'motive, so that the signal is giveneither direct to-tlie engineer or so that the train may a sto'p edautomatically, it being" understood t at the mechanism herein claimed115 'may be used, for either or both purposes." In

the class to which this invention specially relates the signal-mechanismis designed to be operative when two engines or trains are approachingeach other within a short distance, so that both may be stopped, andthus prevent collision, and it is also adapted to opera ate Whenever twotrains are within a given distance of each other upon the same track,whether they be traveling in the same or in '2 5 opposite directions,and, further, to indicate v by the signal upon each train in whichdirec-' tion the other train is going.

Objects of the present invention are, to

'1 the invention in its preferred form andhave .shownf-the :best mode ofapplying the prin-' 'ciple's thereef but it'is'to be understood that Idonot'fintend to limitmyselfto the exact details( f-construction showntherein, as obvious changes-such as changes inform, proportions,materials, the transposition-of parts, and the substitution of:equivalent members will suggest themselves 'to' per- "sonsskilledin the.art and-without departing "from thespintof the inventionw 5 Figure lisaidiagrampf a. track divided ,into blocks with an engine ,orcar upon theSpecification of Letters Patent. 3"

Application filed April 20,1906. Serial No- 312,919.

upon the track, and to this is secured, as to improve generally uponsuch signal systems Patented nab. 12.1907.

track equipped with my improved apparans. 3 Fig. 2' be detached viewof'the'co'nnecting-lever between the trolley-lever andthe pole-chan erlever, and Fig. 3 is a side view'of the tro ley and connecting-lever.

"Like reference-numerals indicate. like 01" corresponding partsthroughout the several, 7

views t 1 Each of the'two'rails 4 and 5 is divided intoblocks, 'asby theinsulated points 6 6 6,

at suitabledistancesapart, as amile or two,

depending upon the nature of the track and also ofithe. traffic to be"controlled, and'the points of insulation arearranged alternately o inthe-one rail or the other, so. as to make .-.-about [equally-distantoverlapping blocks.

A third 'railor any other suitable conductor 7 is also laidor-hung alongthe track, prefer-j ably along the middlethereof between the two rails,as indicated-in the drawings. At

each point of insulation the third rail-or conductor has an ofisetoroutturned portion 8, the purpose of which will behereinaft'erexplained. 8o

9 may. represent any carer locomotive the under side thereof when thethird rail,

as'illustrated in the drawings, is used, a

trolley-rod 10, which carries in' a ivoted bracket 11 a trolleyorroller12l, whic has a groove or'sheave- 13 to engage the third rail. Iprefer to use theroller, as indicated in the drawings, and to have itwide enough so that if it should-be thrown off the rail as-to the grooveit will still bear against the rail with the higher surface of theroller,.even

in passing over one of, the outturned-places ior oflsets- 8 andwithout-losing contact' or electricalconnection with the-third rail, an5 the groove will also readily the rail again. a The forward end of thepivoted trolley-rod '10 engages-with aconnecting-lever 24, iv-- oted tothe frame at 25,-the up erien' of which engages with the arm 21 o theoper- ,i 00 ating-lever of the automatic ole changer 17 which is locatedin anysuita le place 'on the locomotive, tender, or car. 'Also locatedin a convenient places upon the locomot ve, car,

or tender are a manuall y-*operab le polep 5 changer-15, a signaldevice, as a hell l6,a nd- I a battery .31. Each'of the arms 18 .18 ofthe automatic pole-changer engages: with a series ofcontactsfas threeinnumber for A, each arm 26} 26 26, so arranged that nor-'11:)" mally(in the positions-shown inlth'e draw .385) t s eng e rp s e y've n e down by tracing'the connections with the wires 28 and 30, respectivel'Pivote'd to the connecting-rod lQ are t e links 20 20, pivoted by slots23 23 to the oppositely-extended arms of the operating-lever 21, whichis pivoted at 228 so that When said operatingleverjis move in eitherdirectionv by the connectlng-lever 24 the arms 18 18 will be drawn oversaid contacts. The arms are held against the normal contacts by a spring33 and are or may be returned thereto ,b

' said spring; but as the curve 8 is rather gra ual the passage'of thesearms over the contacts-may be accordingly slow, and it is apparent thatthe movement full way in either the same pole of the battery on eachtrain. I in the same. direction shall be oon. nected to the third rail,and this connection moving may be controlled by. the manually-opera ablepole-changer 15.v Thus we may assume that whenever'a. train' moves east(to the right on the drawings) the ositive side of the batteries on alltrains 'shal be connected to the third rail, and when-movingwest thenegative side shall'be' so'connected. Thus when the engine changes itsdirection of travel the engineer may simply shift the polechanger toadjust his apparatus properly.

come upon the same b ock, their respective flow through the circuitdirection of the operating-lever and return othrough both trains,jandthus actuate the si a1 or other devices in both trains,- upon will makethree contacts with the reversed connection of the poles.

One arm of. the automatic poleschanger is connected 'by wire 27 to therunning-gear of the car or locomotive- 9, and thereby with the rails.The other .arm is .connectedyby ",wire 32with the trolley-rod andtrolley, and

thereby with the thirdrail or conductor 7. One side of the ole-changeris connected to the bell 16," y wire 29, while the other ole of saidmanually operable pole-changer is connected by wire with one set ofcon.- tacts of the automatic pole-changer 17, the other set of contactsthereof being connected I by wire 28 with the bell or signaling device16.

The normal. circuit may be traced, com-- mencing with the 'rail' 4,throughrumfinggear of car or locomotive, through wire 27 and one arm ofautomatic pole-changer, wire 30, pole-changer 15, and" battery 31,- wire29, 'signalingdevice 16,'wire 28, other arm of automatic ole-changer,wire 32,- trolley- .rod10,'trol ey 12,.t0 the third rail, and thiscircuit isnormally 0 on by reason of there being 'normall no e ectlicalconnection between the or inaryfrai'ls 4 and 5. and the third rail orconductorfi'. Should such a uconnectionyoccur, the signal will .beactuated, either the ringing of 'a bell, the lighting of a light, or theoperation ofgautomatic devices for stoppingthe train ondoing other work,the articular .work to be done being 7 immateria 'sofar as the presentinvention is. concerned. By .overla ping the circuits "predetermineddistance of the train. a This there is njoplace in the trim where 'thesignal will'no'tibe given by aproper electricalconnection between theopposite rails within 0.

electrical connection of the rails may be made by numerous devices, such.v as by the throwing of'switches, thegoing out of a bridge, or-bythevpresence of auothertrain on-the track 'withinthe prescribeddistance,

' by any suitable means..- 1

- In actual ra'ctice I contemplate the equip- 'ment of eac train withanapparatus similar 6 to the one shown the drawings and that.

w ..ich the trains maybe stopped or such other precautions taken as maybe necessary.

block and be moving in the same direction, no signal will be given, for:the reason that the batteries have the same polesconnected with thethird rail, and thus neutralize each.

If, however, two trains be upon the same I other, and it is to overcomethis difli'cult that the automatic ole changer is designe Upon assingover t e ofiset' 8 the automatic pole-c anger is operated'so as .tointermittently m e connection through the apparatus and the batterywith-the poles reversed, I

and if'thereis. another train. upon the same block moving in the samedirectionthere-is obviously an 'intermittentsignal. given on rangedalong t e track, suitable connecting means with the train, andra-signaling)device, I 1

i 1 x o.

a manually-o'perable pole-changer, a airflow,- and I automaticallyoperable-pole-changer onreach train together with means arranged atintervals a ong the track forautomatically shiftingthe automaticpole-changer;

2. In a railway signal svstem, a series of.

conductors, one ofthe conductors having ofi-' sets at intervals alongthe line, means for. conries of overlapping sectional conductors a1":-

same direction and can govern himself ac- Y 10 1. In a railwaydanger-signalsystem, a sa-' necting with the conductors, signaling deyvices, batteries, manuallyoperable, polechangers, and"automatically-operable polechan ers. Y

3. n a railway signalsystem, av seriesof .conductors, oneofthe.conductors'havingbff sets, suitable signaling apparatus 'on. the ftrains including an automaticpole-changer operable by sai offsets. v j4. In a'railwaysignal system, a series of conductors, one of theconductors of. said circuits having offsets at intervals along the line,a trolley and trolley-rod for connecting engaging with said third railoperable by .electricall continuous and having oflsets ar-- ranged atintervals therealong a trolley on the electrically continuousandhavingoutturned said conductor with the train, and suitable signalingdeviceson the trains including an automatic pole-chan er operable by theengagement of said tro e'y' and trolley-rod with said offsets. v

5. 'In -a railway signal 'system,.a track whose rails are insulated anddivided alternately into blocks as set forth, a third rail between saidtwo'rails, said third rail being train for enga ingsaid third rail andoper-' able by said osets; and a battery, 'aflsignaling device, and anautomatic pole-changer operable by said offsets, on the'train.

6. In a'railway signal'system, a track whose rails are insulated anddivided alter-- nately into block's as set forth, a third rail betweensaid two rails, said'third rail being portions at the points'ofinsulation of the other rails; a pivoted trolley on the train for saidoffsets; and a battery, a signaling de-' vice, and an automaticpole-changer operable bysaid trolley and oflsets, on each 1 tram.

which is electrically continuous and has offsets at intervals along theline, a trolley on the train movable laterally'by saidflofi'sets andcontinuously engaging said'third rail,"

and a battery, a si naling device, a manu-- ally-operablepole-c anger,and an automatically-o erable pole-changer controlled by said tro ley,on the train.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed myv name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED L, RUTHVEN."

Witnesses: I JOHN A. HULIT, Z. T. Frsrmn.

